New RUROUNI KENSHIN: KYOTO INFERNO Posters

The first live-action Rurouni Kenshin was one of the better live-action (action oriented) anime/manga adaptation to come out of Japan in recent years. In fact, some are even calling it the best ever! So it should come as no surprise that the excitement among anime fans is almost palpable as we draw closer to the first of two live-action Rurouni Kenshin movies being released in just a few short months. Check out a smattering of new posters for both projects that were unveiled at a special Rurouni Kenshin exhibit in Shinjuku.

Rurouni Kenshin: The Kyoto Inferno opens August 1st and the third installment in director Keishi Ōtomo trilogy, Rurounk Kenshin: The Legend Ends, opens just a month later, on September 13th. Takeru Satoh returns to star as Kenshin Himura.

It's interesting that we're getting two sequels released just a month apart. This is a standard format for tv movies, but it's rare to see two films in the same franchise released so closely together. Typically, movie studios decide to maximize a film's box office potential by splitting a single film into two parts (see The Hunger Games, The Hobbit and Divergent). However, this doesn't appear to be the case with Rurouni Kenshin, as while both the August and September releases are a continuation of the same story, they will be unique enough to stand on their own. Another difference, is that Part 1 and Part 2 of films from franchises like The Hunger Games and The Hobbit are being released a year apart, not one month. This makes me wonder if Hollywood would ever consider this format, where we get two Captain America sequels in one summer, 4-6 weeks apart. Logistically and financially, it can't be all that different from shooting back-to-back, and it would free up directors to keep more of their footage from being snipped in the editing bay. Personally, I wouldn't mind having films released closer together like the Rurouni Kenshin sequels (provided they aren't split purely for financial profit) but what do you think? Sound off in the comments below with your thoughts and opinions.

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